August 19, 2008 UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE GI08002

ANALYSIS
Recent activity in Northern Arizona indicates there are individuals who appear to have beliefs very similar to those of the Sovereign Citizens Movement and/or Militia Movements ideologies. Federal land patents filings have reportedly increased in two of Arizona’s northern counties. Information has been reported that individuals filing land patent claims are stating/claiming the county officials (assessors, land use, sheriff’s deputies) have no authority over them. Additionally, individuals have sent papers in stating they do not have to pay taxes. At this time, the reporting supports the theory that the actions of these individuals are consistent with Sovereign Citizen and Militia ideologies.

The following indicators (not all-inclusive) have been provided to assist law enforcement with identifying of individuals they may encounter during traffic stops or calls for service who may be involved in these movements and/or have similar ideologies. All law enforcement personnel are reminded to maintain heightened situational awareness when encountering subjects suspected of supporting Sovereign or Militia movements.

The individual(s) may:

• Have a fictitious/peculiar or NO license plates. The plates might claim to be from a non-existent entity like the Republic of Texas (any state), Washitaw Nation, Kingdom of Heaven and etc. They might include numerous variations on the themes of “sovereign citizen,” “sovereign american,” “Common Law,” “UCC1-207” (or other UCC themes; these refer to passages in the Uniform Commercial Code), “militia,” and biblical passages. The plates can range from homemade cardboard plates to stamped metal plates that look very legitimate.

• Have a fictitious or NO driver’s license and/or registration. They may claim they do not need the items on the basis that they are not driving a commercial vehicle. Many extremists claim that the laws requiring such documents apply only to vehicles used for commercial purposes and/or that driving is a right, not a privilege.

• Have peculiar bumper stickers or display strange car decorations. There are companies who market stickers to anti-government extremists and they are readily identifiable. Examples from one company based in St. Marys, Kansas, include: “And the Lord said (Luke 11:46, 52) ‘WOE to YOU LAWYERS’;” “Free the Slaves, Abolish IRS and the Federal Reserve. Other car decorations could include homemade placards, signs in windows or along tailgates and/or display “militia identification numbers”.

• Make strange statements (driver or passenger) and refuse to identify themselves. In response to a request for a license, registration, proof of insurance or other form of identification the individual might make a response with referencing the items as “contracts”. Any references to these documents as “contracts” should be a warning sign; so too should any statement to the effect that they are not required to possess them. If they self- identify themselves as “sovereign citizens,” “non-resident aliens,” “sovereigns,” “common law citizens,” “state citizens,” “freemen,” “constitutionalists,” or claim some other pseudo-legal status, they are providing police with valuable information about their nature. Any suggestion that the Constitution or the Bible gives them an absolute right to travel unregulated, or if they present the officer with a Bible as a driver’s license, can be considered a warning sign. Requests the officer to produce an arrest warrant can also be a sign.

• Hand the officer political literature or strangely threatening documents for him to read or sign. Anything that reads “Notice to Arresting Officer” or “Form CRIF 2PA95” or which purports to explain the law to the officer should be taken as a warning sign.

• Attempt to audiotape the conversation.

• Produce some sort of identification which seems to identify him or her as some sort of strange-sounding law enforcement officer, such as a “Special u.S. Marshal,” a “Constitution Ranger,” or agent with the “Civil Rights Task Force.”

  As a cautionary note, Sovereign and Militia movement individual(s) (driver and passengers) have been known to be armed and/or have concealed weapons in their vehicles. Additionally, beware of the possibility they may have another individual in a vehicle following or nearby. Law enforcement officers are reminded to remain vigilant and to follow their agencies procedures and protocols when dealing with these individuals. Report any such contacts to the ACTIC.

  Sources: FBI’s May 3, 2007 – (U) The Militia and Sovereign Citizen Movement in America Today; Militia Watchdog Law Enforcement Advisory (http://www.adl.org/mwd/trafstop.asp); Anti Defamation League Website: www.adl.org/learn

  Questions, comments or information regarding this bulletin can be directed to the ACTIC Strategic Analytical Unit at 602- 644-5842/5922/5927/5933/5860 or intelligence@azdps.gov.

  This document is designated UNCLASSIFIED//LAW ENFORCEMENT SENSITIVE.
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